‘Queen in Black’ #1 Preview Enlists Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Nova, and More Against Hela and Knull’s Cosmic War

The only threat greater than one evil god? Two. Hela, the Norse Goddess of Death, has taken Knull’s throne and crowned herself the Queen in Black. Now, in the pages of QUEEN IN BLACK by Al Ewing and Iban Coello, the newly anointed cosmic monarch wages an all-consuming war on her predecessor, the once King in Black.

With Earth caught in the crossfire, the heroes of the Marvel Universe are pulled into a conflict that brings the Queen in Black right to their doorstep. Learn more about the key players in this cosmic story as series writer Al Ewing reveals what’s in store for QUEEN IN BLACK #1 and beyond!

Get your first look at QUEEN IN BLACK #1 in the preview below!

MARVEL.COM: Over the past few years, you’ve fleshed out the Norse and Symbiote mythologies of the Marvel Universe in your respective Thor (2025) and Venom (2025) books. What was it like bringing those worlds together in QUEEN IN BLACK?

EWING: The two books have very different plotlines, but sometimes the plot of one book provides the opportunity to ramp things up in another one. The ongoing Thor (2025) plot line, where Thor is dead and Midgard has forgotten that the Norse Gods ever walked the Earth outside of the myths, has given Hela, Norse Goddess of Death, a golden opportunity to take the realm of Midgard for herself. She's going all in by stealing the power of the returned Knull, King in Black, which obviously careens right into Venom (2025).

MARVEL.COM: Hela is our titular Queen in Black. Where do we meet her at the start of this story?

EWING: She's starting her plan to take Midgard—as in, Earth—for herself, backed up by an army of Marvel's deadliest alien races all bonded to symbiotes, so we're getting right into the action. But if you want to see how this whole plot got started, the answers are in the QUEEN IN BLACK: HELA special.

MARVEL.COM: On top of the main series, you’re also writing a handful of tie-ins for QUEEN IN BLACK. Where do each of these series fit in the larger story?

EWING: I'm writing a couple of specials - in QUEEN IN BLACK: HELA, Karnilla of the Norns tells the tale of how Hela started all this, and which forgotten Thor tried to prevent it. QUEEN IN BLACK: THOR, meanwhile, is a tale of Beta Ray Bill and the Mortal Thor, Sigurd Jarlson—how they react to Hela, and how Hela reacts to them. And finally, in VENOM, we get to see the war against Hela from the point of view of the characters in that book—Dylan, Mary Jane, and obviously the Venom symbiote himself. It'll be a fun time!

MARVEL.COM: QUEEN IN BLACK will draw heroes (and villains) in from all across the Marvel Universe. Were there any particular characters you were excited to write for this story?

EWING: I'm always a big fan of writing Spider-Man, but so far, there are also some really fun beats for Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wolverine, and various other on-and-off Avengers. Also, if you're a Cloak and Dagger fan, you're likely going to want to check out DEFENDERS OF LIGHT AND DARK, which has some big beats for them.

QUEEN IN BLACK #1
Written by AL EWING
Art by IBAN COELLO
Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
On Sale 7/1

But that's not all! Be sure to pick up AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1000/QUEEN IN BLACK #1 CGD 2026 on May 2 at participating comic book stores for a QUEEN IN BLACK prelude story that sets the stage for Hela's cosmic conquest. Check out a page from the 2026 Comics Giveaway Day™ issue below and witness the Queen in Black claim her symbiote throne!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1000/QUEEN IN BLACK #1 CGD 2026
Written by JOE KELLY, AL EWING & PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
Art by JOHN ROMITA JR., IBAN COELLO & NIC KLEIN
Cover by DIKE RUAN
Available 5/2

Preorder QUEEN IN BLACK #1 at your local comic book store and pick up AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1000/QUEEN IN BLACK #1 CGD 2026 on May 2 at participating stores!

Grab these comics and more at your local comic book shop! Or redeem then read your digital copy on the Marvel Unlimited app by using the code found in your print comic. Find and support your local comic book shop at ComicShopLocator.com.

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